What is the best treatment to treat diphtheria?
Treatment
- Antibiotics. Antibiotics, such as penicillin or erythromycin, help kill bacteria in the body, clearing up infections.
- An antitoxin. If a doctor suspects diphtheria, he or she will request a medication that counteracts the diphtheria toxin in the body from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What kills Corynebacterium Diphtheriae?
The empirical choices of antibiotics are macrolides (erythromycin, azithromycin or clarithromycin) or benzylpenicillin, all of which are usually active against C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans (49).
How was diphtheria treated before antibiotics?
Effective immunization against diphtheria was demonstrated early in the 20th century following administration of a mixture of diphtheria toxin and antitoxin. In the 1920s, it was shown that administration of heat-treated, formalin-inactivated toxin vaccine resulted in protective immunity.
Is diphtheria a virus or bacteria?
Diphtheria is a serious infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make a toxin (poison). It is the toxin that can cause people to get very sick. Diphtheria bacteria spread from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing.
Does azithromycin treat diphtheria?
If symptoms of respiratory infection appear: treat immediately as a case of diphtheria. Benzathine benzylpenicillin should never be administered by IV route. or azithromycin PO or erythromycin PO as above for 7 days.
What antibiotic treats Corynebacterium?
The goal is both to kill the organism and to terminate toxin production. Many antibiotics are effective, including penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, rifampin, and tetracycline; erythromycin or penicillin is the treatment of choice and is usually given for 14 days.
How was diphtheria treated in the 1920s?
How was diphtheria treated in the 1900’s?
Beginning in the early 1900s, prophylaxis was attempted with combinations of toxin and antitoxin. Diphtheria toxoid was developed in the early 1920s but was not widely used until the early 1930s. It was incorporated with tetanus toxoid and pertussis vaccine and became routinely used in the 1940s.